2011 Ch. Climens, Barsac

Fine, complex and elegant. Final blend under the deft guidance of Berenice Lurton will no doubt create another great vintage for Climens.
(Decanter - Bordeaux 2011 coverage - April 2012)

The château has still to show a sample of the final blend, so we have to taste round each of the current 14 lots and make the assemblage in our heads. The earliest seven lots, comprising a quarter of the harvest, have a very definite Climens style to them: all delicacy, finesse, “point” and length, some with a pronounced spring- or orange- flower aroma to them. The “heart” of the vintage (picked 17th to 21st September) represent a good 2/3 of the total, and have mostly similar aromatics but above all a silky softness and a whole pile of structural complexity that will provide a superb complement.

The final few lots are strong, and were picked wider, consequently of plumper, more obvious Sémillon fruit character that is beginning to develop some interesting spicey character and so could well end up sitting very well in the final blend. The average of all the lots puts the balance at 14° + 8°, with “normal” acidity and constitutes a Climens classic style of purety and depth. As in 2007, the vintage’s style meets the château’s.
Bill Blatch - Bordeaux Gold - Sauternes Barsac Specialist - April 2012

Tasting through individual lots, I was struck by their purity and tautness, developing engaging floral aromas with aeration, with occasional notes of yellow plum and ginger.

On the palate, once again there is a common theme of purity and crisp acidity, although they alternated between a lighter and a more mellifluous style. One or two significant lots demonstrated enticing spicy notes that define great Climens. There is certainly enormous potential here, one that beckons an intense, vivacious Barsac underpinned by freshness and focus.

The 2011 was picked over five tries in two phases, the first from September 8 to the 21st representing a whopping 82% of the harvest over two tries; the second from September 26 until the 28th comprising over three smaller tries. Although the weather played a critical factor, Berenice Lurton attributed the success of her wine to her limestone soils.
(Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, May 2012 )